Christ is a Prophet dost in very deed indirectly denie and ouerthrow the Prophecie of Christ More then that the Pope doth indirectly ouerthrow his Priesthood and his kingdome His priesthood whereon dependeth the sacrifice and intercession of Christ 2 His Priesthood while hee doth erect another priesthood which doth either offer another propitiatorie sacrifice or doth reiterate the sacrifice of Christ as imperfect When as the Apostle doth proue throughout the whole Epistle to the Hebrewes that the propitiatorie sacrifice of Christ if you seeke for the number is but one if for the time is but once offered Heb. 10.14 Well expounded if for the Priest by himselfe if for the place vpon the Crosse if for the manner bloudily if for the vertue exceeding effectuall to make holie the faithfull With what face therefore doth the Pope either deuise another propitiatorie sacrifice or cause that to be often repeated of prophane Priests vnbloudily vpon the Altar as though the bloudy sacrifice of Christ were not sufficient to make perfect the beleeuers wherein he sheweth himselfe an vtter Aduersarie vnto Christ But they doe daily sacrifice Christ say they that they may apply him to the faithfull But the Apostles did not sacrifice Christ but propounded him in the word and sacraments that they might apply him to the faithfull Out of the sacrifice of Christ the redemption of the Church is the first part of his priesthood which the Pope of Rome hath communicated with the Saints Thus they speake of Gregorie Let him saue vs from our sinnes that in heauen with the Saints we may rest You would thinke that Gregorians not Christians spake Of Peter and Paul Grant that by both their merits wee may obtaine the glory of eternitie Out of the Romane Breuiarie It is true that it is said that the Lord can hardly be discerned from his Apostles O blessed mother In the Parisian Missal Satisfying for our sinneâ— By the right of a mother Command the redeemer Bâ—rnard in Mart. lib. 1. So that the Iesuites doe thinke meete to saluation to mingle the mothers milke with the sonnes blood and they do appeale from the seate of Gods iustice to the seate of his mothers mercy whom they call the goddesse and Queene of heauen So that poperie is no more to be called Christianisme but Marianisme Now if the Pope doe communicate the office of redemption with the Saints what maruell is it if they impart the office of intercession with them whereas the Apostle doth affirme 1. Tim 2.5 there is but one God so but one mediator betweene God and men the man Christ Iesus one mediator of intercession who doth offer vp our prayers to God as he that alone doth pay the price of redemption for vs all sith the efficacie of his intercession dependeth vpon the merit of his redemption 3 His kingdome Last of all they professe Christ to be a King in word in deede they deny him And whereas Christ doth walke in the middest of the 7. golden candlestickes and is not onely present in his Church but President of his Church this exorbitant Priest made a Vicar by himselfe and a voluntarie Prince doth raigne and supplie his turne as if hee were absent and taking vnto him the whole power of Christ in heauen and earth makes Christ but a titulare King and an idle God so that hee seemeth againe with the Iewes to mocke him in setting a crowne of thornes vpon his head and giuing him a â—eed for a Scepter into his hand But Christ is a king inuisible the Pope visible But Christ although inuisible yet he is really in the Eucharist yea carnally as the Pope teacheth falsly yet he teacheth it but in the reall presence of the greater that is Christ there is no reall presence of the lesser that is the Pope so the reall presence of Christ in the Eucharist doth take away the visible and spirituall King out of the Church Now seeing in deede he denieth the offices of Christ which he professeth in word The benefits of Christ diminished what maruell is it if he diminish the benefits which spring out of the offices if making of the crosse he weaken the merit of the crosse if teaching his death hee abolish the power of death if granting the spirit he extenuate the force of the spirit if preaching the Gospell he put out the light of the Gospell while he doth confound free will with Gods grace mans satisfaction with Christ his bloud inherent iustice with imputed obedience in iustification that part of saluation being attributed to man part to God may diuide the glory of so excellent a worke betweene God and man Wherein I cannot rightly determine whether Antichrist hath offered more contumely to God or wrong to man Out of the premises I argue briefly thus Whosoeuer doth denie Christ closly and indirectly is Antichrist The Pope of Rome doth deny Christ closly and indirectly and taketh away his natures his properties his offices his benefits The Pope therefore is Antichrist Wherein he doth alwaies one thing and pretendes another He is therefore a cunning craftie Antichrist CAHP. XI Wherein the smoakie Kingdome of Antichrist is plentifully described out of Iohn SAINT Iohn saith that the key of the bottomlesse pit is giuen to the starre that fell from heauen Apoc. 9. The Pope the key Keeper of Hell Now marke in this hellish businesse how diligent this Angell of darkenesse sheweth himselfe 2 For assoone as he receiueth the key hee presently vseth it to opening of the bottomles pit as it followeth in Saint Iohn from whence ascended the smoke of the pit as the smoake of a great furnace and the sun and the aire were darkned with the smoake of the pit 3. Therefore Antichrists kingdome is darke and smoakie The darknesse vnder Antichrist I doe not thinke that any who knoweth but his letters much lesse any learned man to be so weake an Interpreter of the Apocalips as to think the outward darkenesse is here meant and that the darknesse of this sunne which we see or of this ayre which wee breath and not rather the darkenesse of soules and mindes is here vnderstood or that smoake out of a furnace rather then out of hell is heere described Now the kingdome of Christ is the kingdome of light and therefore the kingdome of Antichrist is the kingdome of darkenesse Apoc. 8.12 At the sound of the fourth trumpet Saint Iohn saith No comparison betweene the old Heretikes and Antichrist that the third part of the sunne the Moone and the starres were darkned When Marcion destroyed Christs humanity Arrius denied his diuinitie so that the world was turned Arrian Eutiches confounded his natures Nestorius diuided them when Pelagius obscured the grace of Christ but all these were nothing to those vniuersall darknesses brought in by Antichrist For hee tooke some contagion from each of these and added much of his owne When he commanded the Scriptures
left off to be a Paradise Paradise ouerflowne with the flood But this vniesuited Bellarmine that he might preserue that place free from the inundation of waters to be more pleasant and wholesome for Enoch and Elias hath remooued it into a place neere the circle of the Moone Paradise not neere the Moone But the Iesuite Pererius doth proue that it is the more incommodious and vnholesome and altogither inhabitable First for the neerenesse of the Sunne and other starres then for the Element of fire placed next the moone besides for the perpetuall agitation of the place being carried swiftly about with the constant motion of the heauen So that Bellarmine hath prouided very ill for those good Fathers when he placed Paradise so neere the Moone hath done great wrong to the Inhabitants of the earth as Pererius noteth pretily and pleasantly that the height of Paradise being in a place opposite to the east would keepe away the light of the Sunne It is good sport to see these two learned Iesuits wrangling together about the scituation of Paradise Papist against Papist as the Madianites wounding one another with their mutuall blowes Yet out of this their conflict the truth doth appeare that Enoch and Elias is not in the earthly Paradise And yet without all doubt they must be in Paradise then in heauenly Paradise Which when all is done he confesseth they bee not in the ethereall but aeriall heauen Aeriall Doctour who dreames that God will giue but an aeriall happinesse to these his excellent Prophets For whereas he thinkes it is a matter of religion for any to confesse that heauen gates were open for any before Christ and to the proofe therof hath gathered and bent all his forces that most learned Byshoppe of Elie hath so weakened and disperst them that he hath cleane vanquished the Sophister and driuen him out of the field Enoch and Elias are members of the sonne of man the sonne did first ascend into heauen by his owne power Enoch and Elias being members of Christ haue ascended by the power of the sonne of man so that Christ may bee rightly said to tread the way before them both Whence seeing it sufficiently appeares that Enoch and Elias doe now liue in heauen I will demand againe The second Question whether they entred heauen in their soules alone or with their bodies also For if onely in their soules as certaine learned men doe thinke they must twise rise againe if it be true that Bellarmine saith once to fight against Antichrist the second time to conuert the Iewes to Christ If with their bodies also which the greater sort and better learned on both sides do conclude that they may not deny the priuilege giuen to them for our comfort I will not curiousty inquire whether they enioy the blessed vision of God when I heare they be entred into the house of God that is the heauens wherein Christ saith that he hath many mansion places Three examples of God his glory Enoch Elias Christ. It contents me that God for the comforting of his Church vpon earth would haue three examples and shewes of his glorie to appeare Enoch before the Law Elias vnder the Law Christ vnder the Gospell that the two former by anothers Christ by his owne power entred heauen in their bodies Enoch for the comfort of married folkes Elias for the comfort of Virgins Christ for the comfort of either estate who being borne of a Virgin that was espoused did adorne both of them in his life the Virgin by his example the married by his miracle but especially that Enoch being famous for his integritie Elias for his zeale Christ for his perfection in all graces might be openly knowne to haue their entrance into heauen Hence euery faithfull man may behold the foundation of his happinesse in Christ the first fruits in Enoch and Elias in him the working cause in these a warrantable earnest of their resurrection and ascension into the highest heauen with the highest ioy and hence may we conclude against any Iewish heretike that as there was an entrance into heauen to Enoch and Elias to perfect their happinesse so a returne to the earth is denied vnto them onely Christ who ascended vp into heauen not for himselfe alone but for them and vs must come againe in the latter day that hee may bring those that belong vnto him into heauen Nor let any doubt but that Christ by which power hee shall carrie those being changed in the twinkling of an eye into heauen whom hee shall finde aliue at his comming on the earth hath with that power changed Enoch and Elias in the very moment of their translation and assumption that being made like to his glorious bodie he shall as he hath made them so also make vs fit for heauen The third Question Here I thirdly demand how Bellarmine can imagine their bodies to be mortall and corruptible who haue so many ages enioyed in the heauens immortalitie and incorruption for flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdome of heauen and corruption cannot put on incorruption as the Apostle teacheth Bellarmine contradicteth the Scripture whom the Cardinall doth contradict Enoch was translated that hee should not see death saith the Apostle he shall returne that he may see death saith the Cardinall so Bellarmine alwaies beates against the rocke so long till it be to be feared he will be beaten in peeces by the rocke But if so be that Enoch and Elias doe liue in their bodies in the heauens which is Gods house as the wiser Papists doe confesse to be agreeable to Scripture it followeth that their bodies be incorruptible and immortall The fourth Question I demand therefore in the fourth place how it can be that they should be killed by Antichrist in the latter day how they can so die that they be raised vp the third day There is no shew of truth in the inuention no probabilitie in the deuise And yet these two inhabitants of heauenly Paradise the possessors of immortalitie as Hierom calls them not that now they desire but that they now enioy immortalitie as Tertullian speaketh the marke-men and first borne of our resurrection as Epiphanius saith the most ancient inhabitants of heauen in whom the worth of grace hath changed the law of nature as Athanasius saith Immortalitie not ouercome by death euen these two this old doting Doctor Bellarmine doth imagine shall returne againe vpon the earth that they may dye by the hand of Antichrist Mortalitie shall be drunke vp of life but immortalitie shall not be drunke vp of death For God will not giue that glory to Antichrist that he triumph ouer the death of the Saints in heauen for they be immortall If they be heauenly and immortall what businesse haue they vpon the earth to fight with Antichrist whom Christ hath purposed by three meanes vtterly to destroy and abolish 1. By the effectuall ministerie of his word
plainely shewed against Tortus or rather counterfet Bellarmine that the Apostles Creede was set foorth whereto Iames the Apostle before his martyrdom had added the Article of Christ before the departure of the Apostles from Ierusalem and therefore before S. Peter came to Rome by the testimonie of Baronius himselfe Anno 44. and had concluded necessarily from thence that the Catholike faith was fully finished before the Apostolike See was begunne hence it is said there arose a doubt in that right honourable Calanders conscience a Papist but very moderate and honest not onely of the supremacie of Peter and of that depriuing power annexed to the supremacy but of all the whole Romish Catholike faith which he saw was contained in the popish not Apostolicall Nycene or Constantinopolitane Creede § 125 Therefore when those former learned men together with William Argentine came againe to visite him It is very well sayd Calander that you are met againe to discusse before vs a verie difficult controuersie of the popes new creede which Pius the fouth had formerly compiled Paul the 5. comanded it lately to be printed my good freind Argentine hath lately recited it and I hope by and by he will recite the same to you This being prescribed by the Church vtterly to reiect it I doe as yet to speake truely make a conscience and to admit it wholly vnlesse it bee ratified by the testimonies of the holy Scripture I cannot admit without scruple of conscience For I haue lately learned to giue attendance to the holy Scripture which holy S. Peter doth directly affirme to bee as a candle lightned in this life to vs wandring in darknesse 2. Pet. 1. Which holy Paul doth likewise make the foundation of the Church Ephes 2.20 1. Tim. 3.15 and yet I cannot depart rashly from the Catholike Church whereto I haue beene accustomed which the same S. Paul calles the piller and ground of truth by which there is a creede of faith set out for me So I hang doubtfull betweene the Scripture the Church which God hath giuen vnto vs as the Sunne and Moone the two great lights to giue vs light to life Then Patriott you say right Calander said he in the § 126 generall that as the Sunne and Moone so the Scripture and the Church as two lights shew light vnto vs The Scripture and Church compared to the Sun Moon but that you erre in the speciall as after it shall better appeare But the holy Scripture hath light in it selfe as the Sunne the Church is a light but borrowed from the Scripture as the Moone from the Sun these two I confesse are giuen vs of God to direct vs vnto eternall life But the Scripture directs vs with masterly authority the Church with her ministery for the holy Scripture is the wisdome of God in Christ inspired from aboue into holy men for the eternall saluation and perfection of the Church as the Apostle hath defined it God hath commended the Scripture to the Church The office of the Church as an heauenly charge that it may discerne expound keep and publish it to men the Scripture is therefore mens master but the Church is Gods minister Therefore the Apostle calles the truth the foundation of the Church and the Church the piller of truth as Salomon made his chariot to haue a golden axtree and pillers of siluer vnderstanding by the axetree the sound doctrin of the Messias by the pillers the faithfull teachers of the same § 127 It is a wicked thing therefore to detract from the maiestie of the holy Scripture and it is vniust to derogate from the ministery of the true Church for the Scripture is the truth of God The office of the Scripture and the Church is the house of God the truth is the golden foundation of this house and this house is the siluer piller of this truth that is cut out of the truth as out of the rocke as Chrysostome obserueth So if the Scripture be the base of the Church then the Church is the piller of the word as he spake very wittily Now reason teacheth that the foundation is not sustained by the house but the house by the foundation And religion concludes from thence that truth makes the Church not the Church the truth For the approbation of the truth is the working cause of the Church For before it do approue the written word of God it is but a company of Infidels and Idolaters after it hath approoued it it beginneth to be the familie of the faithful worshippers of God that is a Church Further although the Church by the Spirit doe discerne the true Scripture from the false yet the Scripture being once knowen and acknowledged as before it made so after it sheweth the Church For what more certain note can there be of shewing a thing then the working cause of the thing Againe what priuiledge soeuer the Church doth rightly challenge to it selfe it receiued from the Scripture as that which calleth the Church the piller of truth Therefore the truth of the Scripture is more ancient in time more perspicuous for the light and greater for authority then the Church which when it once receiueth her essence light and power from the Scripture then at last as a piller it vpholdeth with her ministery the truth in respect of men and reueales it to the inhabitants of the earth and it is that ground whereon men both may and ought to leane and rest Lawes vpon pillers so the Scriptures on the Church Whereupon the Propheticall and Apostolicall doctrine is said to bee the foundation of the Church the Church is the strength of doctrine not the foundation It is euident therfore that the Church is founded and sustained by the truth and that the truth is sustained and reuealed by the Church once founded as it were a watch-tower for trauellers to direct them into heauen The Heathens were wont to write their lawes in tables and hang them vp vpon pillers to bee read of the people The Apostle describing the Church compareth it to such a piller the vse wherof was to shew the Law when it selfe was not the Law So the true Orthodoxe and Catholike faith being written in the tables of the Scripture is fastned to the Church as it wereto a most beautifull piller as a most strong prop which resteth vpon it not with its owne but a borrowed strength Wherefore the Apostle in the second to the Ephesians defines the Church when in the second to Timothie hee describes it For there hee argueth from the causes heere from the effects in each place he vnderstandeth the Church of Ephesus that is a particular Church In the first place he teacheth what made that in the second what that did nor so much what it alway doth for of necessitie the foundation being taken away the Church must fall as it happened first to the Church of Ephesus and afterward to the Church
derogation will statute decree and commandement or by any rash attempt to withstand it If any shal presume to attempt any thing against these let him know that he shall incurre the displeasure of almightie God and of blessed Peter and Paul his Apostles Giuen at Rome at Saint Peters in the yeare of the incarnation of our Lord 1564. in the Ides of Nouember and of our Byshopricke the first You haue heard of mee Calander the 12. open and § 131 knowne Articles of the Popes Creede Secret Articles drawne from the former Now if it please you take them which are drawne from them more hidden and vnknown I hope my old friend Saturnine will giue me leaue to open vnto you seeing your time is not long and are not farre from heauen and doe daily expect the houre of your departure to open I say to you the inward sense of the creede and to furnish you as it werewith prouision in this your iorney that when you depart hence Saint Peter the Porter of heauen may the sooner let you in being thus prouided The Masters speake wisedome among those that bee perfect they haue certaine hid mysteries all which they doe not lay open to all but some certaine to some as these are thought best to agree with their capacities and desires Neither will I poure out all I will reserue the mysticall sense of euery Article to be found out by the practise In the meane time by your fauour Saturnine the order being somewhat inuerted I will propound the primacy the eleuenth Article in order the first in authoritie whereon all the rest depend which I desire you with some of your best reasons to defend now rather then at any other time wherein it is fiercely impugned by the assaltes of the Heretickes of our time § 132 I beleeue therefore that Saint Peter was very certainly appointed in the Scripture to be the primate The primacy is the chiefe head of faith and the cheife foundation of the Catholike faith as Bellar in Torto most plainly grounded vpon the Scriptures and Prince of the Apostles and of the vniuersall Church and that the Pope of Rome Peters successor is the heire of this primacy and vniuersal principality in the whole who being the key-keeper of eternall life the Pastour of the vniuersall flocke the head and foundation of the vniuersall Church the infallible rule of faith the cheife iudge of all causes and persons hauing the same tribunall with Christ and the same consistorie in steade of Christ nay in steade of God nay as God himselfe vpon earth and therefore I hold him to bee reuerenced and worshipped I beleeue the chiefe inward power annexed to the primacy is of 2 sorts Sacred Temporall The sacred whereby the Byshoppe of Rome as the spirituall Lord can by excommunication driue away Kings and Princes from the flocke of Christ not onely Heretickes in the faith as rauening wolues but Catholickes also if they proue wicked as outragious rammes and to depriue them of all gouernment and free their subiectes from the Oath of fealty and Obedience The temporall whereby the Pope as Lord of the temporalties in earth can dispose of all crownes and them directly Princes saucily resembled to Wolues Rammes by Bellarmine or indirectly in order to the spiritualls as it set downe by you Saturnine in the former Dialogue can take from one and bestow vpon another as hee shall thinke it to be auaileable to the spirituall end And I vow and sweare spirituall obedience to the chiefe Prince my spirituall Byshoppe of Rome according to those mysticall rules which our Masters haue prescribed to the cureent right of the present Church and the preseruation of the same Here Saturnine you seeme not halfe wary enough § 133 Argentine said he who not contenting your selfe with a publicke profession of the faith Popish misteries not to be reuealed which Pius the 4. did prescribe especially to the more learned sort but haue published the hidden and secret Articles drawne from thence i. Mysteries as wee call them and that in the presence of Heretickes which before the creede was set out ought to haue beene beleeued of you but ought not to be reuealed It seemes then said Patriott as Aristotle had some strange bookes which he writ to all and other subtill bookes which he writ for them of the wiser sort which were said to be set out and not set out So the Pope hath some doctrine that is populare and other that is mysticall that many of the doctrines of your Church seem to be Proserpinaes mysteries Yet you see sometime how they fall from men that bee not so euill disposed and come abroad into the world Then Argentine as much as euer I hated heresie so § 134 much I loue the Catholicke faith whereof I need not be ashamed seeing Calander required it at my handes and you were present who can stoutly maintaine the same against any cauelling Hereticke whatsoeuer That was very necessarie said Calander seeing other were here who could as stoutly make answere Therefore let vs ignorant Lay-men learne let the learned teach It is your part to answere mine to demaund It is an olde song of the Papists a learner must beleeue but a truer a learner must aske You beleeue too many things Argentine as there be many men who bee too incredulous in many thtngs so I feare that in many things many be too credulous When we beginne to beleeue that wee ought not wee will not beleeue that wee ought How oft and that without cause may you heare it among vs It is a matter of faith which ranging out of the circuite of holy Scripture I suppose reacheth farther then it ought These doctrines therefore of the Catholicke faith as they are called which are brought by our men into the forme of a creed the state and drift of euery cotrouersie being briefly and truly propounded I could wish they were soundly disputed and discust by you But chiefly that primarie Article of the supremacy whereof I desire not to know all but the most chiefe pointes as also of the rest that the errors of the Church of Rome now doting for age as they be well obserued by certaine honest Pontificians may appeare vnto vs. § 135 Those certaine Pontificians Saturnine said must be very honest I warrant you that reproue our Father the Pope and accuse our mother the Church of dotage For whereas you desire to haue the Articles of the Catholicke faith discust Calander you are in a great error For they are in all humilitie to be receiued not curiously to be discussed For as Austen saith well the simplicity of beleeuing not the quicknesse of vnderstanding is required in a Christian man That he may with reuerence beleeue what the Church teacheth not wittily discusse it and may humbly submit himselfe to the iudgement of the Church without any discourse § 136 But said Calander if you confesse that our mother the Church hath
and the feete I would faine know whom they vnderstand to be the feete of the Church Some take them to bee Kings Inquitie after the inferiour members as Cardinall Poole some for learned men as Turriane most of all the Iesuits of his owne order Kinges who with their gouernment may sustaine this putrified head Iesuites who may doe the like with their wittes and may carrie it ouer among the Indies to domineer in the new found world To the which feete the Pope cannot truely say I haue no neede of you and therefore he giueth greater credit to the Iesuites then to those idle paunches the Monkes who in their howerly praiers spend their whole time in mumbling on their beads That that also may agree with the argument of your head which Paul hath in the same place that the greatest honor is put vpon the dishonestest members hence it may be other orders will conclude that the Iesuites are more dishonest then all the rest of the Monkes But I demand why there should not be many ministeriall heades when there be many ministeriall feete where be the two eyes wherby this metaphoricall head without braines may prye into the secrets of Kinges where be the two eares whereby they may listen after all reports where be the two hands whereby they may rake and gather in all mens monies if you answere that two are not necessarie for the head when the head hath many more we confesse that it is better for your head to encrease his treasure then to make good the argument For a duality of these members are more necessarie to make the vnitie of the head that a fit proportion may be reserued But this so honorable a title the head of the Church § 167 the head of faith being proper to Christ who liueth and raigneth in the heauens To make the Pope head is blasphemie so that hee bee present in earth with his Church with his maiestie and spirit yea that hee is within his Church to giue life and gouerne the same with his word to haue this communicable with a mortall man and a sinner cannot bee done without blasphemous contumelie Some thinges in Bellarmine are blasphemous some are friuolous these are both blasphemous and friuolous as this argument drawne from a metaphoricall head whereon the supremacy the cheifest foundation of their catholike religion doth depend And here see I pray you what discreet men may suspect who think the Cardinal to be learned they yeld so much to his wit that rather then they will thinke him to be a foolish disputer they take him as it seemes to be a secret betrayer of the cause He defends his head with so withered forces and ridiculous arguments that without any resistance of the Aduersarie hee will fall to the ground by his owne weaknesse That which the Oratour said to Mar. Callidius Cicer. in Bruto negligently and coldly defending the cause of his owne head and life Thou Mar. Callidius vnlesse thou dissemblest thou wouldst not thus plead This may more rightly bee spoken to this worthy patron of his head Thou Bellarmine if thou thoughtst as thou speakest wouldst thou handle a case of such importance so lazily so loosely For whereas out of the premisses Saturnine you gather a different beginning with Bellarmine of Ecclesiasticall and secular gouernment and from the diuers beginning of each power do draw a diuers nature of obedience due to each power and doe propound the twofold vse of this article to bee considered of all Catholikes because all this discourse doth so neerely touch the Kings crown dignity I leaue it to be discussed by Regius our Counseller wherefore Calander you are to entreat him that he would tell vs what he thinks in this matter and ease me of the labor of farther disputing § 168 Then Calander truely said hee when I diligently marke all the parts of your answer I perceiue little or nothing making for this our vniuersall Ecclesiasticall Prince to be in the text For if Christ gaue the key not a scepter as well to all the Apostles and Ministers as to Peter and gaue a Bishops staffe not a sword and ordained Peter not to bee the head but a member and not the foundation of the building but a worke man as not onely many ancient but Popish interpreters of the Scripture doe teach with one consent where I pray you shall I finde grounded plainely vpon the text that vniuersall Church gouernment as they call it vnlesse peraduenture we may call Peter the Prince of the Apostles as we call Homer the Prince of Poets Demosthenes the Prince of Oratours and Plato the Prince of Philosophers Wherefore my good friend Charles I entreat thee that as Patriott hath layd open the truth of God obscured by diuers sophismes so you would free the dignity of Princes being defaced by Popish vsurpation as it becommeth one that is of counsell with the King which I euer held more deere to mee then my life euen then when I was most nousled vp in popery Then Regius All power said he is from God it is Either Ordained And that two fold Ecclesiasticall § 169 Secular The diuision of power Tolerated The Ecclesiasticall 1. If you respect Christ it is Monarchicall or gouerned by one for all power is giuen to him alone by the father both in heauen and earth 2. If you respect men is is Aristocraticall or gouerned by many and those the cheifest as Patriott confirmed out of Paul Therefore this your spirituall Prince Saturnine chosen a Monarch by himselfe a King at his owne pleasure a supposed Vicar of Christ an vniuersall Bishop ordained not by Christ the maintainer of Kings but by Phocas the murtherer of kings at that very time when as Mahomet that false Prophet his brother came into the world successor not of Peter but of Romulus what power hee hath immediately to rule ouer Kings when Peter himselfe had none at all I vnderstand that it is but tolerated As the Dragon hath from whom the two horned beast tooke all his power as Iohn testifieth in the Apocalyps Therefore this power is not ordained but tolerated not for the comfort of the world but for the plague not an holy ordinance but to bee a scourge for the Saints But there is a certaine spirituall power immediately from God True but that which promotes the Kingdome of light not that which promotes the Kingdome of darknesse which is immediately from the Diuell such as the wofull experience of many ages hath proued you Popish power to be Therfore to your spirituall Prince holding the seate of the Dragon spirituall obedience is no more due to him then to the Dragon § 170 But secular power whether it consist in many in few or in one although it be in Nero yet it is immediately ordained of God as Paul hath taught and to that purpose is called by him the ordinance of God But that Secular power from God will some say
Analytickes and after he hath read them himselfe let him teach vs how two contradictions may be true at once Secular Princes haue no power immediately from Christ to beare rule ouer subiects And Secular Princes haue power immediatly from Christ to rule ouer subiects A manifest contradiction Hee speaketh in both places not of the title but of the power A manifest contradiction But how may Proteus fast be held Who changeth shape at euerie turne But the feeble old man doth often faile in memory and contradict himselfe as Father Paulus and Fulgentius and Marsilius and Chichester haue taken the man tardy and held him to it shrewdly As the mans great wit appeares in Tortus all whose disputation doth hang vpon the begging the thing in question § 174 For that he may proue that the Kings oath doth require not only ciuill obedience of Papists but deniall of the catholike faith Bellarmine continually beggeth the question he taketh the thing in controuersie for granted to wit that it is agreed among all Catholikes that the chiefe Bishop may rightly depose hereticall Kings and free their subiects from obedience And hee affirmeth that this is the catholike doctrine but proues it not which ought soundly to haue been proued if he would disproue the oath He addeth further that when the Kings of the earth haue admittance into the Church with this condition that they submit their scepters to Christ c. if they refuse it it is lawfull for him who hath the rule ouer all the Church vpon earth in Christ his steed to remoue them from the communion of the faithfull and to forbid their subiects to obey them How falsly the Bishop of Chichester teacheth now we obserue the mans wit we are very sorry that Bellarmine doth openly begge and that one thing twise which is in the very question For it is in question among vs whether the Pope haue the power to depose the Prince and to free his subiects from their obedience Here Bellarmine as if like Apollo Pythius he gaue his Oracle from his three-footed stoole pronounceth malapertly enough that hee who is Christ his Vicegerent in gouerning the Church hath that power For he saith that he hath power to excommunicate therefore to depose He proueth that excommunication is an inward thing fastned vpon the supremacie when hee should proue that this deposing is an inward thing belonging to excommunication otherwise hee disputeth not to the point So the state of the controuersie being either turned aside or altogether vnknowne he goeth from the point and fighteth with vs after the manner of the Andabata who fought blind-fold And because the power to depose Princes by excoÌ„munication § 175 is denied the Pope therfore he saith the power of excommunicating is wholy denyed It followeth not it is a fallacie from that which is in some sort to that which is simply and absolutely And when he had affirmed and repeated it againe and againe till a man might loath it that Christs Vicar had so great power he vsed no arguments or proofes to that purpose he desireth to be credited vpon his bare word without reason as if he were a Pope Bellarmine the Pope need not alledge reasoÌ„s of their actions who is not bound to bring arguments to refute the oath for then saith he he might be thought an vndiscreete Prince if he thought he might not forbid a wicked action except he added reasons to his inhibition and write a large treatise after the fashion of the Philosophers to that end They do very cunningly as they seeme excuse that vnreasonable creature who sets downe the articles of the catholike faith as the Mathematikes do their principles You must not therefore ô yee Kings in a matter of such importance as concerns your right so neerely looke for any reasons from Robert Bellarmine more than you expect from Paul the 5. He speaketh as a Prince not as a Philosopher He setteth out not arguments but edicts He disputes not but determines in the Popeâ— cause against the King and that against the opinion of infinite Papists both better learned and honester men than himselfe as appeareth in the answer of the Bishop of Chichester So that Bellarmine seemeth to many wise-men to haue attayned an opinion of learning rather than learning it selfe Foâ— in that whole dâ—sputation the begging sophisme of the thing in question The ground of Bellarmines argument is the begging of the questioÌ„ is the foundation of all Bellarmines answer so heauy headed and dull he seemes in Logick and so vnskilfull in Grammar as appeareth in that part wherein Saturâ—ine disputeth of the spirituall and temporall obedience Bellarmine the great learned man speakes false Latin and alleageth Bellarmines owne words out of Tortus luretur fidelitas Let fealtie saith he be sworne to the King but so ne abiuretur fidelitas that faith be not forsworne to Christ his Vicar § 176 He speaketh false Latin in disgrace of all Grammarians But that farre worse that hee thinketh so basely to the contempt of Kings and Emperors For we doe not so much blame his grammar as his diuinitie And we obserue this by the way he doth obiect incongruitie of speech to others when he himselfe is faultie in manifest barbarisme and calls other mens stiles dyrty when his owne is cast ouer with hell dust That which Robert Bellarmines mouth doth clearely shew the same doth Robert Saturnine who when hee had abased the power of secular Princes to aduance forsooth the power of that one spirituall Prince hath also so tyed the spirituall obedience of Christians to the will of one Bishop that by the pretence therof he may take from Princes at his pleasure the ciuill obedience of subiects God the obiect of spirituall obedience But as he erred in the originall of either power so he erreth in the obiect and end of either obedience We make the true obiect of spirituall obedience to be God himselfe the end Gods word hee makes a contrary obiect the Pope himselfe and the end the Popes will We make the true obiect of ciuill obedience Gods ordination of the ciuill Prince the end the spirituall obedience toward God therefore Paul saith we must obey him for conscience sake not for the busines sake that is enioyned by the Prince but for the authorities sake that is ordeyned by God Hee placeth the Bishop in Gods place enioyning spirituall obedience to vs for very conscience of those things that are enioyned and hee maketh ciuill obedience terminable at pleasure by the obseruation of good order and manners So that subiects obey the ciuill Magistrate not for conscience sake as Paul speaketh but for policies sake as Bellarmine speaketh and that Clergy men obey not for necssarie subiection but at voluntarie discretion and are held in Clergie exempted from obedience not by force of law but by force of reason as hee saith So to vs the obseruing the spirituall dutie is the direction and
that is a Bishop aboue an Apostle wee will laugh at it if they denie it it followeth that either the supremacie died with Peter or that it came not to Linus the Bishop but to Iohn the Apostle as suruiuor Where is then the succession of the Pope to resolue this doubt Caietaen de di in instit Pont. cap. 13. Bellarm. lib. 2. de Pont. cap. 12 certaine great Papists doe answer that the succession of the Pope in so much as Peter was Bishop of Rome tooke the beginning from the fact of Peter not from the institution of Christ Therefore this is matter of fact not of faith Goe to and what was Peters fact they answer that he appointed his seat Rome and there ended his life Caietane doth adde that the death of Peter did not simply giue the succession of Rome but that hee there died by the especiall appointment of Christ which Caietan proued by a certain historie Peters supremacy depends on a reuelation which shewes that Peter thinking for feare of persecution to leaue Rome and being now gone foorth part of the way Christ met him to whom Peter sayd whither goest thou Lord Christ made him answer I goe to Rome that I may be there crucified whereby Peter being admonished returned that hee might die at Rome Therfore the Popes succession dependeth vpon Peters fact and hath the beginning from thence and out of this fact they take all this as granted that Peter was at Rome that Peter was Bishop of Rome that Peter was put to death at Rome and that by Christ his appointment What certainty was in all these vnles we giue credit to a few humane histories which are subiect to many humane errours such as that errour is cheifly whence notwithstanding Caietane saith the succession was granted to the Pope Acta Petr. Pan. Baron 69. about the returne of Peter by the occasion of the vision § 218 The first founder of the tale was Linus a foolish counnterfet writer Loco Theo. lib. 6. cap. 8. Linus a counterfet writer as it is obserued by Baronius himselfe But be it a historie it comes not from the reuelation of the holy Ghost but from tradition as Canus telleth vs. Againe how doth it appeare that it was the purpose of Christ and Peter so to confirme the succession by this fact so that the Church should bee alwayes bound vnder paine of damnation to be beleeue it for when they say it is of the necessity of saluation to bee subiect to the Romane Bishop as to Peters successour and that by the power of that succession they contend that in all points of faith and saluation hee is set ouer by God himselfe it had beene meete that the succession of the Pope had beene more cleerely and euidently confirmed vnto vs then by a blinde and vncertaine vision the author whereof themselues condemne for a bastard and a foole Francis Vict. relect 2. de potesta Eccles Besides that the election of the Pope is an humane ordination which were absurd if Christ had appointed the succession proper to Rome by Peters fact to alter the forme of the election Therefore none is bound to beleeue that this or that pope imagine Clement the eighth De here lib. 2. cap. 9. or Paul the fift to be Peters true successour as Alphonsus writeth So that it is lawfull for any and at his pleasure to cast off the pope of whose canonicall election he doubteth Wherefore seeing the succession of the pope is so vncertaine he should doe better if as the Emperour doth not write himselfe Caesars successour but Caesar so the pope would not name himselfe Peters successour but Peter himselfe as pope Stephen sometime called himselfe For we will as easily beleeue that Paul the fift is Peter himselfe as Peters true successour Now that I may gather all into a short summe you see most noble Calander in Saturnine Bellarmine himselfe polishing and refining certaine olde arguments of his owne side whereby he doth vnderpropt the supremacie staggering and falling almost to the ground but in vaine doth the Cardinall hope that such silly sleights can deceiue a learned age which cozened a rude and ignorant age For first he alleadged so many corrupt interpretations of certaine places that they may be refuted not of the ancient and our owne but of the new and such as be their owne Doctors Out of whom notwithstanding he bringeth forth certaine figuratiue arguments which necessarily inferre such foolish and damnable consequences that the wise seeme to laugh at and the religious detest Such an one was that interpretation and argumentation § 219 of Boniface the eighth out of the first of Genesis In the beginning not in the beginnings Bonif. 8. extrauag Concil tit de maior de chedi God created heauen and earth when Boniface vnderstood that the pope was vnderstood by the Beginning Hence he doth thus argue Foolish interpretation and worse consequence The Sunne the Pope the Moone the Emperour He therefore that doth not submit himselfe to the Pope doth deuise two principles with the Manichees as Boniface deuised Such another was that out of the same chapter God made two great lights in the firmament when therefore the Pope brought this sense into the text that by the Sunne the Pope by the Moone the Emperor was vnderstood thence he concludeth that the Pope was so farre greater than the Emperor as the Sunne was greater than the Moone What Mathematicall Archimedes could better describe the quantitie of the Sunne and the Moone Such be the interpretations and the arguments drawne from thence by Bellarmine Hee beateth the keyes of the earth out of the keyes of heauen Hee gathereth the honour of ruling out of the labour of feeding he vnderstands Peter for the rocke a metaphoricall head for the visible head of the vniuersall church And out of these allegoricall expositions Arist 1. Metaphys he thinks he can make orderly syllogismes for Peters supremacie Pythagoras was said so to instruct his schollers in the speculatiue science of numbers and to haue imprinted such deepe notions into their mindes that after when they came to the consideration of naturall things they thought that the works of nature consisted of the principles of number So this Pythagoras hath so deepely wouen his symbolicall diuinitie in the mindes of his auditors that out of the metaphors of holy scripture they beleeue that the height of ecclesiasticall Monarchie is erected Whether is hee more craftie that so perswadeth or he more simple that so beleeueth nay more then that this Rom Aduocate doth endite him as guilty of heresie that doth not beleeue so It is well the plaintife not prouing as the Lawyers say he that is accused is set free § 220 You demand further Calander of the iudgement of the primitiue Church whereof the most learned Fathers assembled in the first six generall Councells did not only not acknowledge this supremacie but stroke it dead